Check out this TRX sequence for water skiing, used by Pro Jason McClintock, perfect for warming up and activating the shoulders and back before a session on the water. If you’ve spent any time water skiing, you know your body can take a beating. Between the twisting and turning required to catch some air and the inevitable impact of a fall, the pros know they need to spend adequate time working on not just balance and strength but also flexibility so they stay limber and loose when gliding across the water.
Ontario native Jason McClintock has spent nearly his entire lifetime committed to the sport of water skiing. On skis since the tender age of two, Jason quickly rose to the top in the Canadian Jr. division, earning him positions on many Jr. and Under 21 Canadian teams. With multiple titles under his belt, he advanced to a spot on the Canadian National Team in 2004, skiing both slalom and trick, and helped the team take home the trophy at the World Championships in 2009. With this sort of tenure, Jason has had plenty of time to find out what works with his training.
"The best way to get warmed up before a ski set is by using the TRX Suspension Trainer," says Jason. "The dynamic movements you can do with the TRX are perfect for getting my whole body ready to compete." He also relies on it to help with another important aspect of fitness: cross training, which helps with injury prevention and allows him to push himself and his skiing to the next level. In the video, Jason shows us the exercises he likes to perform to break down tension and get his body warmed up.
The first exercise is a slightly modified version of the TRX Squat Row. “I like this exercise because it incorporates the upper and lower body,” says Jason, “and it hits the arms, back and legs in one simple movement.” (Click here to check out a Cool Combo featuring the TRX Squat Row.) The second exercise Jason calls "an awesome sequence that hits your back in multiple ways; it involves a bent over row, reverse flies and a transverse rotation." You'll recognize the TRX Golf Rotation in this combination, which helps increase hip and spine mobility and rotation. The last exercise, performed during the cool down at TRX classes here at TRX HQ, is great for really opening up your chest and hip flexors (perfect for those of us who sit for long periods of time).
Jason is currently competing in the 2011 Water Ski World Championships in Dubna, Russia. In between competition, no doubt he will be relying on his TRX to help keep him charging across the wake.
You can read more about Jason and his TRX Training by checking out this article in the August issue of Water Ski magazine.
